Read Dragon Warrior (Midnight Bay) for Free Online

was in trouble.
    “Come on, you two,” Elbridge called out. “We’re not getting any younger standing around here.”
    “Ladies,” Kenzie said, ushering the women ahead of him while giving Maddy an amused nod. “We’ll have them back for dinner. Enjoy your lunch with your cousin.”
    Maddy leaned over the counter to watch the turtle parade shuffle down the hall and out the front door. She rushed limping into the sitting room to look out the window and saw them gather around Kenzie’s large black SUV, where they immediately started arguing over who was going to sit where. She covered her mouth, laughing out loud when she saw William suddenly realize that getting any of them into the third-row seat was going to be about as easy as getting a newborn chick back in its egg.
    She cracked open the window to listen.
    “Charlotte and Lois,” she heard William say. “Since the rear seat is smaller than the middle one, why don’t ye let me pick up you two wee lassies and set ye inside?”
    Lois’s eyes widened. “I’m not that wee a lassie.”
    “Of course ye are, darling,” he said, sweeping her off her feet, chuckling when she gasped. “Why, I’ve lifted kittens that weigh more than you do.”
    By the time he reappeared from settling Lois in the third seat, Charlotte was positively giddy with anticipation. Maddy fought but failed to hold in her laughter when the tiny woman all but threw herself into his arms. “Oh, William, you are so strong,” Charlotte said, her arthritic hands clutching his broad shoulders.
    “What’s so funny?” Doris asked, coming to stand beside Maddy.
    “How many strong men does it take to load a truck with senior citizens?”
    Doris looked out the window and sighed. “I don’t know if those two are saints, or if they’re really sinners trying to worm their way into heaven. I can’t imagine what possessed Mr. Killkenny to offer to take them on a picnic.”
    Maddy grinned at the thirty-year veteran of nursing-home administration. “Maybe we’ll find out when they bring them home this afternoon.”
    “I know Kenzie Gregor married Eve Anderson a couple of weeks ago,” Doris said. “And whenever I go to Mabel’s shop to buy bread, she can’t stop raving about her new son-in-law.” Doris glanced at the nearly loaded SUV, then back at Maddy. “But I can’t quite get a handle on William Killkenny. He walked in here last Thursday morning and asked if it would be okay for him to visit with the residents.”
    “Did he say why he wanted to visit with them?”
    “He told me he was building a house down on Riley Cove and that he’d like to get their advice on how he should go about it. He said that if anyone knew what would work and what wouldn’t in this climate, they would.” Doris broke into a rare smile. “I have to say, my first instinct was to call the sheriff and have him removed from the premises. Lord,” she said, shaking her head, “the man was scary to look at; big as a barn, strong enough to stop a freight train, and so hairy I thought Bigfoot was standing in my office.”
    “What stopped you from calling the sheriff?”
    “Elbridge came in just then, and William’s face—at least what I could see of it—immediately lit up. He shook Elbridge’s hand, and I realized that very few of our visitors ever think to offer such a simple, respectful gesture. Just then Lois peeked into the office, and William’s eyes turned . . . well . . . tender. He tucked his hands behind his back, gave her a slight bow, and formally introduced himself to her.”
    Doris shrugged. “I’ve been in this business long enough to know that just like dogs and children, seniors have a sixth sense about a person’s character. So I told William I’d be willing to give him a chance, and in the four days he’s been coming here, I can only say that the atmosphere has been nothing short of electric.” She waved at the window. “Just look at them. They were up at the crack of dawn and